Holland Recap

How amazing it is to have a place to visit that I love so much! And even more amazing it is to have a friend that I love so much! I had the most amazing Saturday in Holland with my friend Hannah. Hannah has the cutest two year old daughter named Brooklyn and I just so happened to be dog sitting so we decided to take a day trip with our crew. Mom life?! Hahahha! Hannah had never been to Holland so I had a blast showing her around my old stomping grounds. Our day was short and sweet but it was a day filled with memories that I will without a doubt cherish forever. Seeing Brooklyn play at the beach with a smile that stretched from ear to ear filled me with an overwhelming sense of delight. I was truly beaming and I think it was because Brooklyn is a product of my friend Hannah and I am so incredibly proud of her. Hannah is an AMAZING mom and I feel very blessed to have a friend that has persevered with such strength and grace. Han and I go way back! She has always loved me for me and has accepted me through good times and bad. Heck, she loved me through my awkward phase, I think that says a lot! Han- remember that time we corn rowed our hair for our basketball game? We also wore K-Swiss tennis shoes with our basketball sweats into school that day with one leg rolled up and the other down (insert crying laughing emoji x10000 here)! We were dead serious and thought we were really cool, that’s the worst part! Han and I have been buds since middle school but we grew closest in high school and then went on to different colleges. We’ve always been close but we didn’t see each other nearly as much in our college years. Nevertheless, she stuck by my side through those important life events such as the loss of my Dad and I stuck by her side through sweet baby Brooklyn who she had our senior year of college. It’s really special to have a friend that you know you can call on whenever with whatever, a friend that will come over with balloons and $3 champagne to cheer you up when you’re feeling sad, a friend that will sing throw back jams in the car with you, a friend that will let you just be you and love you for it wholeheartedly. I could go on forever but I think what I am trying to emphasize is that when life throws you lemons, make lemonade. Cherish the people in your life that push you to be better and spend time making sweet memories together.

After taking Brooklyn and Filly (the puppy) to the beach, we ended up downtown at New Holland Brewing Company for Hatter Days, an annual street party with live music, beer, friends and fun. It was wonderful. Quite a few of my friends that I made in Holland were there and I just loved seeing them and introducing them to Hannah and Brooklyn. It was really special for me to see my friends from all walks of life come together to just have fun together. We laughed a lot! Brooklyn loved the live music and danced her way right into her bed time.

All in all, it was an amazing day. We fit a lot into a little time! I left feeling grateful that I have surrounded myself with such loving, fun and supportive friends. When life gets tough, it’s nice to be reminded that God has put some incredible people in my path. I hope everyone had a fun weekend!